How to develop foot strength

Every time I discuss foot strength, I am asked questions.

In personal training, I found that a lot of strength and stability issues started with lack of foot control. The remedy can be slow but is actually simpler than we think and it starts with lifestyle changes. Our feet will get stronger if we do these four things:

• Spend more time barefoot.

• Walk on uneven surfaces often e.g. trails and mountains.

• Wear shoes with a toe box wide enough for our toes to spread out, as they normally would when barefoot. A narrow toe box that forces our toes to cramp together will deform our foot. (I wear vivos in daily life and inov8 for weightlifting.)

• Train in wide enough shoes, so we can tense and relax our foot muscles as needed.

The body responds to your lifestyle at any age. I spent my childhood in shoes that were too small for me so I have some permanent structural deformation, but my foot shape and footprint at rest has changed in the past year and a half, just from making these four changes.  

Comments and questions are always welcome! Drop me a line.